Love Beyond Barriers
by SilentStormSociety
Summary: Lyla is a lone bounty hunter in Skyrim. One day, she receives an alarming letter from her sister, Merrill. An eluvian deep beneath the College of Winterhold has been opened. Lyla must brave the unknown and travel through the portal to save a certain bard. Nothing could have prepared the tempest for the dangers she would face, or what feelings would ignite inside her along the way.
1. The Sketch

**A/N: I was lucky enough to get my dearest friend in the world for secret santa this year! This story is for you, bestie!**

 **Lyla Mahariel is a fully developed warden belonging to NattyWright. Head to her page to read all about this fiery elf in the tale, "From the Dales to Denerim".**

 **I have been given permission to write this incredible character.**

* * *

Lyla squinted against the dim lighting of the Winking Skeever as she read her sister's letter over again. It was rare Merrill asked the bounty hunter for anything, Lyla was sure to read every word carefully.

 _Dear Lyla,_

 _I hope this letter finds you in haste as something terrible has happened and I've nowhere else to turn. The nature of the situation is too sensitive to put into writing. Will you come see me at the college?_

 _Please hurry lethallan; a girl's life is at stake due to my foolishness, time is of the essence._

 _Dareth shiral, sister._

 _-M_

Lyla finished off her drink before refolding the letter and tucking it away. She threw down a few septims on the table before rising quickly from her seat and setting off for the College of Winterhold. If her sister was in trouble, Lyla would not dally. Family came first.

OoOoO

The lithe, hot-headed elf stopped at the Frozen Hearth Tavern just outside the college to get a drink before meeting her sister. She had traveled non-stop from Solitude for days and had quickly burned through her water and small food supply.

She wasted no time inhaling the first two mugs of the refreshing liquid, then continued to obnoxiously gulp down a third, and then a fourth.

Lyla felt eyes on her as she continued her water binge until finally she couldn't take it anymore and spun around, fury in her eyes. It was everything she could do to hold back from releasing the tempest right then and there in the tavern full of patrons.

"What do you want, shem!?" the elf spat angrily.

The woman sitting down the bar from Lyla just smiled warmly; once chocolates met emeralds, the stranger stood from her chair and moved closer, taking the empty barstool beside Lyla.

She smelled of the finest soaps and shampoos few could afford in Skyrim. Although pleasing to the eye, Lyla couldn't help but think this woman just looked like the worst type of shem, judging the raven-haired beauty by her fancy noble dress of blues and golds and jeweled slippers, she seemed to be of royal descendent.

Lyla watched the stranger's elegant caramel fingers disappear beneath yet another frill in her dress before revealing a folded piece of paper. Those same nimble fingers carefully unfolded the small square and slid the parchment before the hunter.

The elf picked up what appeared to be a hand drawn portrait of a young woman who seemed close to Lyla's age. The drawing was beautiful to be sure, its subject even more so, flawless even. Soft eyes matched with happy lips, the girl appeared lively and passionate; yet, Lyla caught something in those orbs staring back at her, a sadness, as if they were hiding a tragic secret from the world.

"My name is Josephine Montilyet. You are a bounty hunter, no?" Josephine's gaze flickered between Lyla's weapons and eyepatch; she continued when the elf didn't answer. "I am looking for my bard and will pay handsomely if you find her for me. I have several estates around Skyrim; I would also offer you one of your choosing for her safe return."

Lyla quirked a brow at the noble, figures this shem would flaunt her wealth right off the bat. "What gives you the right to approach me, shem? Think an elf has nothing better to do than hunt down one of your lost pets!?"

Heat rushed to the elf's cheeks; she had more pressing matters to attend to at the moment. Of course this bloody shem thought she could just throw coin at a poor lowly elf, dangle an estate over Lyla's eyes, and the hunter would just hop to the task like an obedient lap dog.

"Get away from me, seth'lin. Before I do something we all regret."

Lyla didn't miss the sorrow to cross Josephine's features, but she didn't care. Taking one last gulp of her drink, Lyla tossed a coin at the barkeep and stormed out of the tavern.

The night air bit hard as Lyla stepped into the harsh winter of the town. The slender elf hated the cold, how Merrill could stand to live there year around was beyond her.

Lyla pulled her coat tighter as she hurried toward the college. A woman in college robes stood in the center of the bridge entrance blocking her path. Lyla grunted as she grew more frustrated; she didn't have time for this, and the harsh chill was making her irritable.

"Halt, the college is closed to the public due to recent events we cannot disclose at this time."

Gritting her teeth, Lyla unsheathed her short-axe before shouting, "Step aside before I run you through with my hungry blade."

The mage visibly gulped but stood her ground. The brunette's hands blazed to life with swirling balls of flame, readying for a fight. Lyla took a step forward before she felt a soft, firm hand clasp down on her shoulder, halting her pursuit.

"She's with me, Ferelda. Let her through." came Josephine's smooth aristocratic tone.

The mage called Ferelda snuffed out the flames emanating from her fingertips before stepping aside for the elf to pass. Lyla glared at Josephine angrily. "I didn't need your help, shem."

Josephine sighed before pushing the same folded piece of paper from earlier into the elf's hands. "Forgive me, but I'm worried. Please, her name is Leliana. She was last seen performing at the inn here. I think she may had gone to the college afterward. She isn't just my bard—" Lyla saw sadness cross the shem's features once more as the noble's words stuck in her throat; a disheartened, broken look formed, like that of a kicked puppy. "She is… my friend. Friendship between servants and nobility as you know is not allowed. But there is no one like Leliana; she's special. All I ask is if you see her, please keep her safe."

Slowly, Lyla tucked the paper away into a pocket before sheathing her axe and nodding a firm nod toward Josephine. A weak smile was returned before Josephine retreated back toward town. Lyla watched until the frilly bobbing dress disappeared from view. Unable to stop herself, the elf reached for the parchment and gazed at the miraculous drawing once more.

Her heart did a flip as those mesmerizing orbs pierced her soul once more, they resonated with her on another level that Lyla could not fathom. The artist had captured this woman's spirit, both animated and broken. She continued to rake her eyes over the gorgeous face, memorizing every centimeter, every line, every feature, noting how the bard's short chin length hair fell in perfect lines with a single strand falling carelessly over a smooth, perfectly fashioned brow.

The portrait was done in charcoal; Lyla wondered the colour of the mystery woman's eyes and hair, she wondered if the bard's cheeks were rosy or pure as milk. She could easily stare at the sketch for hours, lose herself in its beauty, but there was another task at hand, Merrill came first. Lyla decided at the very least she would keep an eye out for the bard.

Folding the paper quickly and tucking it away again, Lyla continued on to the college. Little did she know, her life would soon change forever.

* * *

 **Lethallan - Close friend (practically family)**

 **Dareth shiral - Farewell (literal: safe journey)**

 **Shem - Elvish term for humans**

 **Seth'lin - Thin blood (insult)**


	2. Impending Fatality

"Aneth ara!" Merrill cried anxiously while wrapping Lyla in the tightest of hugs. "Thank you for coming, sister. Something terrible has happened and I need your help."

Lyla rubbed at Merrill's arms up and down in an attempt to calm the brunette. Merrill seemed frantic and flustered; her skin pale, body too thin, and dark circles under her eyes. The situation must had been far more serious than she imagined.

"Slow down, lethallan. Tell me what's happened. What do you need?"

Worry creased Merrill's brows as she nodded and grasped Lyla by the hand, the tempest allowed herself to be led up a spiral staircase to the common rooms of the college. She followed until they reached a small bedroom she guessed to be Merrill's. The brunette closed the door and locked it before urging the redhead to sit on the bed beside her.

"I'm not sure where to start," Merrill whispered, her tone trembling.

Lyla placed a calming hand on her sister's shoulder. "The beginning is usually a good place."

Merrill nodded before lifting a shaky palm out in front of Lyla. The hand was wrapped in a thick cloth, blood had seeped through the fabric. Slowly, Merrill unwrapped it to reveal a large diagonal gash across its center.

The hunter carefully cradled the unsteady palm with her own as she inspected it closer. There was something odd about the wound, the blood was still fresh and sparkled unnaturally in the dim candlelight as if magic played in its pools. "What happened, lethallan?"

"Blood magic," Merrill said quickly, as if she were ashamed of the words themselves. "Beneath the college lies an ancient artifact kept secret from all of Skyrim. One of the professors asked me to restore it in secret in which I have spent months doing so. Pouring my blood and soul into this object has taken its toll on me, Lyla. I lost myself to it over time, the more I gave, the more obsessed I became with opening it."

"What is _it_ , exactly? This artifact, what does it do?"

Merrill wiped a tear away with her other hand before answering. "It's called an eluvian. Think of it as a door to another world. I succeeded in my endeavor, sister. I opened it, but did so at a terrible price." Merrill held her palm closer. The wound remained angry, the blood still glistening but never flowing over the edges as blood typically would. "Eluvians are forbidden by the gods to be opened in this world; that's why there is a price to be paid. I did not understand until it was too late."

Lyla furrowed her brow; she was terribly confused. "What price, Merrill?"

"It is difficult to explain. To open this gateway took time; blood, magic, fragments of my being. It makes sense that to remain open it would continue to feed off the life source of the one to revive it." The brunette motioned to her hand again. "This is a mark between me and the artifact. It feeds as we speak, I cannot be healed."

Lyla's eyes widened as Merrill's words finally began to make sense, tears stung her eyes, but she refused them. "Merrill, are you—" Lyla couldn't finish.

"Yes. I am dying. As long as the eluvian is accessible, it will feed off my soul until I am no more."

Lyla shot to her feet angrily. Her sister wasn't going to die if Lyla Mahariel could help it. "Then we destroy this artifact!"

Merrill shook her head sadly as she rewrapped her hand. "What's happened to me is not the worst of this story I'm afraid. A string of horrific events took place after I opened it, Lyla. Someone came through!"

Merrill began sobbing uncontrollably causing Lyla to rush to her sister's side and wrap her in a hug. "Tell me, lethallan. Tell me everything. What do you need me to do? I want to help. I refuse to lose you."

Merrill sniffled before sitting up and continuing. "Two women came through. They didn't look the least bit surprised to see me. As if they had been waiting for me to simply unlock the door for them. They didn't look threatening at first. I tried to speak to them, but they ignored me. They headed straight up the stone steps to the college; I followed the whole way. I think they came here with a purpose. They knew exactly where they were going and knew just where to turn as if they had been here before."

Merrill looked away and visibly swallowed as if searching for the courage to continue. Lyla rubbed her sister's shoulder reassuringly. "Go on, lethallan."

"A teacher questioned who they were. One of them was an old woman with snowy coloured hair, she laughed and with a flick of her wrist cast lightning at the professor, killing him instantly. That's when things started to go horribly wrong."

Dread filled Lyla as she urged her sister to keep going.

"Some of the students saw the altercation and began to fight. The old woman displayed magnitudes of magic I have never seen, striking students all around. The woman aiding the sorceress fought with a bow and daggers, injuring any to oppose as well. I pleaded for them to stop but they continued to ignore me. I know now that had they killed me too their exit would have closed. My life is what is keeping the eluvian open."

"Merrill we're running out of time!" Lyla burst out suddenly. She was getting agitated, worried of Merrill's impending condition. Her sister couldn't die! She just couldn't! "Get to the part why I can't destroy this thing right now! No eluvian, no death, right?"

"Because those women kidnapped someone!" Merrill wailed. "Because of me a girl is in danger, and anything that happens to her is my fault! They dragged her away carelessly. There was nothing I could do."

"Who is this girl? A student?"

Merrill shook her head. "No. She was just traveling through. A bard, who befriended me. She was sweet, and curious and told the best stories. I just can't live with myself if something happens to her."

A bard? It couldn't be the same— Lyla quickly reached for the drawing in her pocket and held it up to Merrill. "Is this her?"

Merrill nodded wildly. "Yes! How do you have a drawing of Leliana?"

That confirmed it.

"Someone is looking for her. But Merrill, you're too important to me. Please, let's just destroy the artifact. I can't lose you."

The brunette shook her head with finality in her eyes. "I can't. I'd rather die than leave Leliana to the wolves. Please sister, you know I would never ask you to such a dangerous task, but if anyone can find Leliana, I believe it's you."

Lyla gave her sister a pleading look to reconsider but in the end agreed to help. "Okay, show me to the eluvian."

 **Aneth ara – My safe place (a friendly greeting more commonly used among the Dalish themselves rather than outsiders)**

 **Lethallan – Close friend (Practically family)**


	3. The Other Side

Lyla stood before the grand structure that was the eluvian. The archway was golden and littered with intricate carvings of symbols in which she had never come across. Its center at first glance appeared mirrorlike, but closer inspection revealed the swirling magic at work, its surface like liquid glass.

"One more thing you should know," came Merrill's timid voice. She sounded tired now, drained. They were running out of time.

"What is it, lethallan?"

"The professor who asked me to open this in the first place, I saw her slip through after the others had left. I do not know if she is friend or foe, nor do I know her reasoning for wanting to be on the other side. Be wary if you find the one named Morrigan."

Lyla nodded before hugging Merrill one last time. "I'll be back soon, sister. Just hold on a little longer."

"Dareth shiral, Lyla."

Lyla nodded before bravely crossing through the rift into the unknown.

OoOoO

Lyla shivered as she stepped into the mysterious, unexplored realm. There was no sky, no trees, no life. Just roads of stone with more eluvians on either side of them as far as the eye could see. A light mist hung in the air like a decaying cloud. Moisture filled the elf's nose, giving her a sense of nostalgia as she thought back to the forest she played in during her childhood. The scent one could smell just before the first rainfall.

A light breeze brushed past the hunter but did not bring chill nor sound. In fact, the silence of this place was nearly deafening to Lyla's sensitive ears. It was unusual for her not to pick up even the most micro of noises.

The hunter took a few steps forward and searched all around for a sign or any kind of clue as to where to go next. There must had been hundreds if not thousands of eluvians. How was she suppose to find the bard?

"Elgar'nan, ghilama," she muttered under her breath.

Not wanting to forget which eluvian led back home, Lyla shed her jacket and placed it at the base of the glimmering center from where she came. With a deep breath, she began walking down the road to her left and hoped for the best.

She didn't make it far before a raven made its presence known far above her head. She stopped and followed the bird with her eyes as it swooped toward her, landing at her feet.

The elf gazed at it puzzledly at the raven until it began to transform. It took on the form of a dark, swirling shapeless shadow, bending and twisting and growing until it eventually shifted into a raven-haired woman with golden eyes, dark crimson lips, and pale skin. Lyla caught the gleam of a wide set golden necklace around the woman's neck, it looked old, like an enchanted artifact one might find in the deepest draugr caves of Skyrim. Lyla was certain this woman was a mage. Perhaps even the professor Merrill warned her about.

"I have been waiting for you," the mage's voice was smooth and almost purred when she spoke. "The one you seek is through this one." The raven-haired woman gestured toward the eluvian behind her. "You must hurry if you wish to save her. I do not know what they plan for the girl."

"What's your name, shem? Why are you helping me?"

The mage chuckled, her laugh a silky hum vibrating through the air. "You may call me, Morrigan. And my reasons for helping you are my own. I think the words you are looking for are _thank you_."

Lyla drew her axe and dagger as she loomed threateningly at the witch, although Morrigan was well taller than the elf, Lyla made up for in harsh appearance alone. "You're the reason for this mess in the first place! My sister is dying because of you! Teachers and students are injured, some may even be dead! And a girl was kidnapped!"

Morrigan's expression broke a moment before she quickly schooled it back. "I am aware, and I am sorry. But I have lost someone too. Merrill was the only one capable enough to do what she's done. I saw an opportunity, and I took it."

Lyla shook her head furiously. "What could possibly be worth what you've done? Who could be worth who you've harmed?"

"'Tis none of your concern. Do not waste time on anger. What's done is done. You should hurry."

"Come with me," Lyla said, surprising them both. She didn't know why she wanted the witch's company, but she did. Keeping Morrigan close meant Lyla could keep an eye on her. Plus, having the mage's abilities would undoubtedly prove useful.

"I have a task of my own." Morrigan raised long fingers to her chin in a thinking pose before speaking again. "I will assist you if you help me find the one I am looking for afterward. I suspect the women we seek are being held in the same place. Do we have a deal?"

Lyla rolled her shoulders uncomfortably; she didn't know if there'd be time. She had no idea how long Merrill had left. But she needed Morrigan's help no matter how much she would hate to admit it. "Fine, but keep your distance, shem. I don't trust you."

"Luckily, I do not require your trust. Let us proceed then." Without so much as blinking, Morrigan walked through the eluvian as if such a thing were as common as the air they breathed.

Lyla sheathed her weapons and reached a hand out cautiously as she stepped through the portal.

Nothing could have prepared the elf for what was on the other side of that door. Lyla's jaw fell open as she took in the incredulous environment around her. Then began to scream.

* * *

 **Lethallan - Close friend (practically family)**

 **Dareth shiral - Farewell (literal: safe journey)**

 **Shem - Elvish term for humans.**

 **lgar'nan, ghilama – Elgar'nan, guide me. (Elgar'nan is the god of Vengeance)**


	4. Memories Lost

Automatically, agile fingers reached for blade and short axe, weapons raised high, Lyla lunged forward to strike the towering red-black demon snarling in her face.

The demon cried out with a reverberating roar, claws flexing as Lyla buried her axe deep into the predator's side, thick dark liquid rushed out of its newly torn flesh-wound like a merciless waterfall. The demon lurched forward in defeat, letting out a high pitched ear-splitting shriek as it did so.

Lyla raised her sword arm high and aimed it at the demon's head before raining it down hard with all the strength she could muster through the monster's eye socket.

After the demon had crumbled and stiffened, Lyla extracted her blood-slicked weapons and turned toward Morrigan. "What the bloody hell was that!?"

Lyla struggled to catch her breath as the air surrounding them was almost too vile to breathe. That's when the elf noticed she and the witch were standing knee deep in a swamp like river.

The sky thundered above and flashed against thick grey-green clouds. The vibrant magenta lightning feigned an apocalyptic swirl of a monstrous, eerie, yet somehow beautiful twilight-like sunset.

Blanketing the glowing swarm of mystery was a thick, transparent, smog-like green, the kind one might find over the most putrid parts of a bog. A suffocating mist Lyla was desperate to escape.

"'Tis a demon," Morrigan answered. "This place is filled with foe. Be wary, hunter."

Lyla narrowed her gaze at the witch. How did she know Lyla was a hunter? She'd never said.

As if reading her thoughts, Morrigan answered. "I know much about you, elf. But now is not the time for explanation. We must cross the plain quickly."

Lyla surveyed the marshland again, not seeing any obvious exit or sign of the missing woman and her captors.

She could feel herself slowly sinking into the soggy mud beneath her boots. The murky dirt and rot-infested waters pooled around her legs, soaking her trousers as clunky footsteps and animalistic howls sounded in the distance.

She needed to get moving, needed a plan before that abhorrent environment devoured her alive. On instinct, Lyla breathed deeply to keep control and calm her nerves only to regret the act as she sucked in that horrid odour of the wasteland.

"Where are we?" she asked through a fit of coughing and turning toward Morrigan with a look of disgust.

"'Tis the Fade," Morrigan said quietly as if telling Lyla a secret. "You must pass through here first before entering the world of the one you seek."

Lyla furrowed her brows. "Why?"

Was that pain that flashed across Morrigan's features just then? Lyla couldn't be sure, although the mage stood just a few feet away, the green fog hanging between them seemingly grew thicker by the second.

"To succeed, you must arm yourself with the missing knowledge you can only find here. It is vital you understand your enemy before you go any further. Otherwise, you will simply lose again. There will be no additional chances after this."

Lyla grew frustrated, she wasn't understanding. Missing knowledge? Additional chances? What was she talking about? "Start making sense, shem!"

"The path to the next eluvian will contain lost memories. _Your_ lost memories. From another life. You will understand more when we find them."

"You're saying I've forgotten parts of my life?"

Morrigan shook her head and sighed. "More like a past life. Skyrim is not your first experience among the living, Lyla. You will come to understand soon enough. We should go."

The elf shook her head in disbelief. What was happening? All was well when she woke up that morning in Solitude. She had gold in her purse and meat in her belly. Then that letter from Merrill came and now she'd learned she had already lived once before?

"How do you know all this?"

And there was that sorrowful look in the witch's eye again, clear as day. A secret that hid and shimmered in golden suns, begging Lyla to understand something she just could not. "Because I am the one who murdered you."


End file.
